So guys, this chapter pretty much wraps season 11 for Omelia. Thank you all for the amazing ride and for sticking with me all the way to the end. You guys are awesome. I have to add, though, The Journey isn't fully finalized. I am still going to write the chapters pertaining season 12. For now, I am just taking a break to write more for My Boys but I plan to come back and write the "second season" for this story.
Timeline for Part 24:
It picks up exactly after the last scene of part 23. Owen and Amelia have spent the night together after he returns home and she keeps her sobriety. We will go through the events of 11x23 and 11x24 (and a little beyond that lol). I hope you all enjoy this last installment. Let's go!
The Journey – Part Twenty-FourAmelia woke up with her back slightly aching, as if she'd just spent too much time lying down in the same position.
Turning her head partially to the right, a coy smile crept on her lips as she slowly recalled the events of the previous evening. Despite the soreness in her muscles, this had actually been the first night in a really long time when she'd managed to get such deep, quality sleep. But happiness quickly faded from her face when she noticed she was alone in bed.
The sheets still felt warm beside her, so Amelia imagined Owen must not have left that long before. She was still trying to process his unexpected absence when an uncommon noise coming from the bottom floor caught her attention. Swiftly getting out of bed, the neurosurgeon wrapped herself in a comfortable sweatshirt and followed the lead of the sonorous muffled clacks. Once at the top of the stairs, Amelia rubbed her eyes to make sure she was getting a clear vision of the scene in the kitchen.
With his back turned to her, Owen leaned against the wooden cabinets opposite to the sink, apparently very caught up in whatever task he was performing that required the use of a hammer.
But Amelia wasn't that much interested in what it was that Owen was fixing. Instead, her eyes were busy enough studying the outlines of his strong back and shoulders that his casual white shirt couldn't hide.
As Owen moved his arms to apparently hook back in the defective door of one of the kitchen cabinets, Amelia couldn't help noticing how his muscles flexed with the slightest movement. She knew the furniture of the house was mostly made of thick wood and therefore probably weighed a lot. But the way Owen would hold the door suspended in place with one hand while skillfully nailing it back with the other suddenly made Amelia think that not only did he repeatedly prove with his actions and decisions that he was a real man, sometimes when Owen engaged in physical labor like that she was reminded of how raw and masculine he could be.
And how that turned her on.
Swallowing hard, Amelia decided it was time to make her presence noted.
"What are you doing?" She asked with a sweet tone, raising one eyebrow in question to hide her look of appreciation.
At the sound of her words, Owen immediately drew his attention to her. She noticed how his cheeks pinked up as if he'd just been busted. The thought made her smile.
"I was just making us coffee." Owen explained, quickly finishing hitting the last nail and then finally opening and closing the cabinet door, satisfied to see the hinge now worked perfectly well.
"I see," Amelia smiled lazily at him, taking a seat at one of the stools near the counter at the same time Owen turned his back to her and devoted his attention back to the coffee maker. "How long have you been up? You could have woken me."
Owen turned on the machine and in a matter of seconds, a delicious smell of fresh coffee delighted them both. Truth was, he had gotten out of bed just nearly one hour before and decided to prepare breakfast for them. But as he'd been searching through the cabinets for a pair of mugs, he noticed how the hinges of one of the doors were dangerously loose, putting whoever might open the cabinet at risk for being hit on the head if it ever dislodged completely.
Without hesitation, Owen decided to fix it while Amelia still slept. She wouldn't even need to know about it, because the trauma surgeon planned to get it over with in just a few minutes. But of course her timing was as precise as always and she'd caught him minutes after Owen had started the task.
"I woke up not too long ago." He finally replied to her question, leaning on the opposite side of the counter facing her. "And I didn't wake you up because you didn't move a finger nearly the whole night. I don't remember one single time when you didn't hog the covers or accidentally punched me in our sleep. So I thought it was obvious you could use the rest."
Amelia hid her shy smile behind the coffee mug and got busy drinking a sip of the steamy hot mug because she didn't have an answer for that. It was impressive how Owen could still awe her. She didn't know what touched her the most: The fact that he had stepped up to fix something at her house, the way he had considerately noticed how tired she was or how he'd decided to make her breakfast in the morning.
But maybe it was the mention of the many nights they'd spent in each other's arms before.
The memories filled Amelia with longing and nostalgia and she suddenly felt a fit of anxiety. She simply had no idea where to go from there. Owen was just back from the army and she had finally started picking up her pieces after her brother's death. And at the same time Amelia knew she was in no place to commit to anyone at the moment, it didn't mean she wanted Owen out of her life.
"Don't worry." He stated calmly, looking deeply into her eyes. "You don't have to make anything out of that."
Amelia held her breath for a moment, taken aback by the intensity of his words. She felt exposed and vulnerable, as if by just looking at her Owen had been capable of breaking down her defenses and reading her mind. At the same time it alarmed her, Amelia also felt strangely… safe.
"You're not going to the hospital today, are you?" She asked him carefully. Owen had just been back from long months of back to back work. Not only had it consumed physically, but probably mentally as well. To go from that to instantly resuming his position as chief of surgery at Grey Sloan without a moment's rest certainly wouldn't do him well.
"No, not yet." Owen replied with his usual serenity. "There are a few things I want to get to in the trailer and then I'm probably in need of some time to clear my head as well." He added with good sense. As much as Owen looked forward to operating inside an actual OR and not a makeshift tent in the desert, he could also use some time off to actually rest after the excruciating journey.
"You mean, more loose screws to fix?" Amelia's dimples danced on her cheek when she asked the question, knowing it was both literal and metaphorical.
"Something like that." Owen smiled back, fascinated by how easily adorable she was.
Amelia kept looking into his eyes, trying to think of what to say so they could prolong the moment. But invariably, their interaction would come to an end, and she had this awful feeling they had just gotten there.
"So, I guess the one night is over." She stated with a sad smile. Amelia didn't want to let go but she knew they should. Like she'd stated the evening before when she proposed they took a break from everything, in the morning, the issues would still be there.
And both of them needed to deal with their own baggage in order to figure things out.
"You know where to find me if you need me." Owen gently placed his empty mug on the sink counter and went around it, standing just a few feet away from her.
Amelia noticed the expectant way in which he looked at her and unconsciously held her breath.
"The same goes to you." She affirmed. Owen was usually a solid rock and she had to admit she'd gone to him a lot more often than he'd needed her. At least that she knew of. But only because she had a lot of stuff going on at the moment it didn't mean that she would be any less available if he needed her there. Amelia cared about him and he had to know he could count on her too.
"Well… it is goodbye, then." Amelia said awkwardly. Owen was standing just within her reach and she desperately wanted to feel the warmth of his embrace and lock herself inside of it. The hell, she wanted to suggest that they spend the entire day together, doing nothing. But now it was time to do the adult thing, and that meant taking the first step to rebuild her life.
The previous night, she'd gone home thinking that once again she would hit rock bottom. But it hadn't been the case, and that motivated Amelia to grasp that new chance with everything she got. She needed to prioritize her well-being and that meant guarding her heart against any possible heartbreak. Especially one she wasn't sure she could survive.
Before the neurosurgeon could process anything else, Owen took the initiative. She felt his hand reaching out for her face and gently striking her cheek as he seemed to struggle with his own feelings too.
"Take care, alright?" He nearly whispered, reluctant to let go. Amelia closed her eyes, preparing herself for the moment when he'd kiss her. "I want to see you happy."
His hoarse voice was the last thing she became aware of as Owen abruptly pulled apart and left without saying another word.
Amelia stayed immersed in the silence of the room for long minutes, once again trying to make sense of something that no logic in the world could explain. Owen's words from the previous night still echoed in her mind, but mostly, her heart still ached with the sad realization that they couldn't be together now. And it was no consolation to know that despite being the best, this one decision definitely wasn't the easiest.
.
Over the following week, Owen was caught by surprise with the news of Meredith's return to Seattle. After quickly catching up with her at the house while Amelia was at work, the trauma surgeon found out that Meredith had had a child while she was gone, and during one particularly warm day, he got to meet baby Ellis and see both Zola and Bailey after a nearly one-year absence.
Owen could only imagine how that would add anxiety and more confusion to Amelia's already messy feelings. He knew she would be thrilled to see the kids again but probably torn about seeing her sister in law, especially after the inconsiderate way Meredith had unplugged her brother and then left without looking back or at least informing Amelia of her departure.
During the next days, Owen kept busy working on his trailer and going on a solo fishing trip. He'd found out that being close to nature soothed him, and the handwork at home helped not only to clear his head but also made him exhausted enough to sleep very well at night.
On a Monday about two weeks after his return to Seattle, Owen went back to work. He spent most of his morning catching up with Richard. Throughout most of those few hours, the trauma surgeon cemented an idea that had been growing on him for the past week.
Hearing Richard talk about budget meetings and department issues only made him realize he didn't miss any of that. Sure, it had been a challenge once, but the job felt like it was already deep in his past, finalized with a sense of closure. Owen didn't want to go back to spending more than half his work hours engaged in bureaucracy. He still wanted to operate, of course, and to see and treat patients. But he also wanted more hours to dedicate to himself and his personal life. Even if he destined those to carpentry or fishing in the lake.
What he really wanted though was to devote more of his free time to the company of a certain petite brunette with the most gorgeous smile. Amelia's eyes haunted him every night in his dreams and Owen longed to be able to touch her. But during the day, in the few times he'd occasionally seen her, she was usually surrounded by colleagues or awestruck residents who wanted to learn from her just as much as she wanted to teach them. He hadn't yet been alone with Amelia ever since the morning he'd left her at the house, but they'd still bump into each other every now and then. And in all of those times, they had exchanged smiles but hadn't really had a chance to talk. Owen wasn't spending a lot of time at the hospital, but he'd noticed Amelia had cut back on her insane hours too. He supposed she probably spent the majority of her free time with her nieces and nephew, aware of how happy they made her.
And because Owen had just been back, he'd decided with Richard that the older surgeon should wrap all unfinished business before handing back the position, which was why Webber was still in charge of receiving the new interns, even after Owen's return. On the morning of their arrival, Owen sat in an OR gallery beside many of his colleagues, most of whom had been taught by Richard and listened to that same speech years before.
While the experienced surgeons welcome the young doctors on the bottom floor, Owen's gaze invariably traveled to the row above. When Amelia's eyes met his, she quickly looked away at the same the neurosurgeon slightly blushed, making Owen wonder what she'd been thinking about. He had to admit it was a bit discouraging that Amelia didn't seem to want to talk to him, but he quickly realized that was not the case when, moments after the speech was over and people had scattered around, she caught up with him in the corridor.
"Hey," Amelia hurriedly dodged one of the nurses and went in Owen's direction. "I haven't seen you in a while. You look tanned." She smiled, obviously teasing him.
"You mean burnt." Owen reciprocated her mischievous smile. He'd been out by the lake for a few hours in the past week, which explained his current skin tone. "How've you been?"
"Good." Amelia nodded with her head, walking beside him in the direction of the staircase that accessed the hospital's entrance. "I've been seeing the kids a lot, so it's been better. Loud." She chuckled as she added the latest word.
"I suppose you're enjoying it, then." Owen replied casually, smirking to let her know he was teasing her too. Amelia had never been too quiet and they both acknowledged it.
"Yeah, a lot." Amelia commented with lighthearted humor as they went down the stairs. She was just about to ask him what he'd been up to when they were suddenly interrupted by Arizona Robbins.
"Hunt. How much longer is Richard going to be interim chief? Because I want to expand my department, and he has a kind of different approach to the budget. So, when are you coming back?
Oh, Owen thought with resignation. There was the part he hadn't missed at all.
"Uh, I am not." He notified the pediatric surgeon, seeing how beside him, Amelia looked just as interested in his answer as Arizona. "The board is going to appoint a new chief." Owen informed them, ready to resume his walk to the ER.
"We are? When?" Arizona sounded surprised.
"Why?" Amelia asked at the same time.
"Yeah, why?" Arizona showed her disapproval, looking at him with curiosity whereas in Amelia's eyes Owen noticed a deeper interest in his answer.
"Because I've been chief long enough." He affirmed, on purpose not explaining much. Owen didn't have a thorough answer to give. All he knew was that he just couldn't envision himself locked in an office for ten hours straight again. "And it's time for something else," he added mysteriously, nodding his head affirmatively before finally going his way.
Because he turned around, Owen missed the spot of fascination in Amelia's eye, but she didn't have enough time to ponder about his decision either. A collapsed tunnel had taken the lives of many people, and Amelia was one of the surgeons sent out to the field to assess injured patients.
Being in an accident site really hit too close to home to Amelia, but as if the situation wasn't stressful enough, she'd had to work beside her sister in law, which only brought up more memories of her brother. Amelia saw a lot of patients that day, but there was one in particular that really messed with her emotions. Maggie, April and Meredith had all been beside her, trying to help Keith Gardner in any way that they could, but at some point, the other surgeons decided there was nothing else they could do for him and gave up when they felt like all options had been explored.
Amelia was taken over by an infuriating sensation of helplessness. When Meredith agreed with the others that the patient had no chance and they'd made the right call, Amelia couldn't keep her feelings to herself any longer. Her passive-aggressive remarks were noticed by her sister in law and in that moment, Amelia saw the opportunity to finally confront the woman on issues that were long overdue.
For starters, she showed her disapproval but questioning Meredith on how she made the decisions to simply give up on situations and decide that someone no longer stood a chance. It was clear in her speech that she didn't mean Keith Gardner, but Derek Shepherd. Meredith obviously picked up on it, but she was saved from having to answer by the arrival of an eager intern who notified Amelia she was needed on a procedure.
It wasn't until later that Amelia was able to get everything off her chest. By confronting Meredith in a supply closet, the neurosurgeon finally let her feelings come to surface. Her tears had healing powers, and after confessing to Meredith how much it'd hurt that she hadn't even been informed of her brother's conditions before he was mercilessly unplugged, Amelia was at last able to think about the situation without a suffocating feeling inside her heart. That conversation had been long overdue and, after finally confessing how she felt, Amelia knew it still hurt. But at least now she could deal with her pain and finally move on.
Amelia had had quite some time to ponder about her personal life too, and she'd ultimately decided that it was better to remain single for a while. Her feelings for Owen still kept her up at night sometimes, leading her to confess to Callie during surgery that it was better not to date anyone they worked with. And from that moment on, Amelia tried really hard to believe her own words.
.
Taking another look at the clock, Amelia gave up calculating the number of hours she'd been up for. During the last months, she pulled shift after shift, but it was staying up with a baby and two young kids in the house that really worn her out. The neurosurgeon was busy catching up with charts when she noticed Owen arriving and standing by her side on the nurses' station.
"He's still alive?" She asked, curious about the boyfriend of the patient she'd just operated on.
"For now. And the girlfriend?"
"Out of surgery. Awake. Not paralyzed." Amelia summed up.
"Excellent work." Owen complimented her with a grin and held her gaze a moment longer until Amelia finally broke eye contact.
He'd just focused back on the document at his hand when her voice drew his attention again.
"Meredith told you she's selling the house?"
"What, her house?"
Amelia noticed the astonishment in his voice and she wasn't surprised. If Meredith had failed to properly inform her, who actually lived at the house, it was no wonder she hadn't bothered to tell Owen either. And he had the right to know. After all, he lived in the property and would be affected by the move too.
"Yeah. It was news to me too." She confessed to him.
"Where are you gonna go?" Owen frowned, unable to pay attention to his chart any longer. He watched as Amelia kept typing on her tablet.
"I'll find something." Amelia replied unaffectedly. She liked the house but it was filled with too many memories of her brother. Meredith's decision to sell it had only reminded Amelia that she should have gotten her own place much sooner. But she'd always hated living alone. "Maybe she will let you keep the trailer." Amelia added, looking at him with expectant mockery.
"Well, maybe I should just get a house that doesn't get parking tickets." Owen replied in the same lighthearted tone.
"Come on." Amelia embarked on the playfulness. "You won't miss being able to reach your toaster from your toilet?"
Owen wanted to give her a witty answer back but all he could do was chuckle. He loved seeing her happy and smiling.
"I might." He settled for saying, thinking back about the many times she'd teasingly made fun of his trailer.
Amelia was assaulted by the same memories. Flashes of happy moments inside his place ran through her head so she forced herself to think about her patient, unsuccessfully.
"I really want this to work."
The thought slipped her mind before she could hold it.
"Yeah?"
Amelia noticed the expectancy in Owen's eyes and realized she'd probably confused him with her blunt confession.
"This family. All three of them." She made up a good explanation.
"Right. Right." Owen shook his head, hiding his consternation.
"What did you think I meant?" Amelia straightforwardly asked, consciously testing him. She was taking one day at a time now, but already felt a lot more in charge of her own life. Soon enough, she'd have to move out of the house and probably face loneliness again. And even though Amelia knew she wasn't in the place to give Owen what he deserved in terms of a committed relationship, it didn't mean she desired it any less.
So to think that he could probably feel still as drawn to her as she felt to him really touched her.
"Oh, nothing, no." Owen replied, but he tried so hard to sound casual that Amelia picked up on his discomfort. It was clear he was lying. "That. Yeah. Me too."
During the rest of the day, Amelia kept trying to process the meaning of his evasive reply. But her emotions were soon to be shaken up again when Meredith surprisingly gave her a cell phone containing Derek's last voice mail message.
Her sister in law's advice that Amelia should listen to it alone startled her. She knew the one single message it contained was from her brother and the perspective of listening to his voice again both scared and excited her.
She missed Derek deeply. Much more than words could ever explain. Despite all their differences and their fights, she'd always known that at the end of the day, her big brother would be there when it mattered. He was someone she could count on. Amelia had grown up without a father, but she'd always had Derek to lean on. Now he was gone too.
And Amelia had no idea if she was ready to finally, finallyacknowledge that.
.
The next time Amelia was able to smile after that was at Richard and Catherine's wedding. Somehow, amidst the loss and heartbreak everyone had gone through the past year, the goods things still found a way to crawl out and contaminate their spirits. Amelia was grateful for that.
During the ceremony, Owen sat on the row behind hers. While the sermon was conducted, he realized he was having a hard time focusing on the couple at the altar. It was much more interesting to study the profile of the woman in the black and white dress sitting a few feet in front of him.
Once the ceremony was over, everyone went back to Meredith's for the reception. Owen had noticed that, despite seemingly doing better, Amelia still had a shadow of sadness behind her eyes. Whenever she looked at him smiling and Owen identified it, he wanted to go to her and hold her in arms to protect her from all harm in the world.
Being a trauma surgeon, Owen saw people suffering everyday. It was never easy or fun, of course. He knew he had good people skills and a lot of empathy. The surgeon had lost count of the many times he'd have to deliver bad news to family members, or even to patients themselves and still, being hard as it was, it didn't make him lose his sleep at night.
But to see Amelia sad… That devastated him. It broke his heart. Owen couldn't even explain why. But with her, it was different.
She was different.
Throughout the party, she seemed to be having a good time but her eyes weren't sparkling with contentment and mirth like he'd seen many times. Her liveliness, high spirits and general good attitude with the world had once captivated Owen to the point of making him fall madly in love with her. He knew she was still that same person, but her bubbly personality was now overshadowed by a load of emotions she hadn't so far fully processed but really needed to.
"Hey, Owen, can you do me a favor?" Meredith distractedly asked him. "I don't know where my keys are, could you go get the spare set so I can open the backdoors to the terrace? It's getting crowded here and we need more space."
"Sure." Owen replied with practicality. "Where are they?"
"Well, if no one took them while I was gone there should be an extra set in the second drawer of my nightstand."
Owen nodded affirmatively and went upstairs, hoping to be done with the task as soon as possible. Meredith was hosting the reception for the newlyweds and the atmosphere at the party was generally good. The trauma surgeon had been spending a lot of time alone lately and he liked it. But sometimes, Owen missed social events like those.
He opened the door in a hurry, determined to get the keys but it caught him off guard to find out the bedroom wasn't empty as he'd initially assumed.
Instead, Amelia sat down by the bench on the foot of the bed and she looked like she was struggling with something.
"I'm sorry, I was just…" Owen belatedly noticed she looked on the verge of tears. "Are you all right?"
"I was just about to listen to a message." Amelia explained, fighting her emotions. She seemed embarrassed and tried to disguise it with a smile. "But I can't seem to bring myself to hit play." She confessed and looked deeply into Owen's eyes, giving up trying to hide her emotions from him.
It had never worked, anyway.
Owen acknowledged the situation and closed the door behind him, gently sitting next to her afterwards. It was obvious something was up.
During most of the afternoon and evening, Amelia had walked around with the cell phone in her pocket, avoiding making the decision to listen to it for as long as she could. But then, once back to the house, she couldn't help thinking of Derek. The way the place was filled with people, laughter and happiness made her heart ache for her brother, because she knew he would have loved to be there.
Owen didn't need to ask why she couldn't hit play. He recognized Meredith's old phone in Amelia's hand and figured it probably had something to do with his late friend. He waited for her to say something, but since she seemed to be struggling so much, Owen decided to end her agony.
Without thinking twice about it, the trauma surgeon reached out and pressed the play button. Derek's voice resonated in the room and her heartfelt reaction didn't surprise Owen.
He was just about to leave and give her privacy to process the memories of her brother when Amelia's hand grasped him, firmly holding him in place. Owen understood that was Amelia's way of asking him to stay and he didn't hesitate to do so.
When the message was finally over, Amelia was completely in tears. But she didn't seem sad.
In fact, she seemed relieved.
Owen was happy for her that she seemed to finally be able to cope with her brother's death in a healthy way. Her response was genuine. Amelia wasn't fighting the tears anymore. Instead, she was crying them. And by allowing her pain to be processed, she was finally moving on with her loss.
"You okay?" He sheepishly asked after seeing her wipe her eyes.
"Yeah." Amelia nodded affirmatively. Among her tears, a smile finally showed. "Yeah." She repeated, looking Owen in the eyes. "I am."
He realized the amazing breakthrough Amelia had just had. She had also just noticed she was finally in a better place and seeing her genuinely smile made Owen happier than he'd felt all night.
The surgeon was just processing that when a small, warm hand cupped his cheek as Amelia shifted closer. He frowned in response, surprised by her move but didn't have a lot of time to think it through because a second hand rubbed the other side of his face, pulling him nearer. Silver blue eyes stared deeply into his without saying a word before she finally leaned in.
Amelia covered his lips with hers, feeling the familiar sensation on her stomach whenever she touched him. Almost automatically, Owen's hands circled her waist, pulling her closer. The way he warmly welcomed her kiss encouraged Amelia, making her move up and support her body on the bench on one knee to seize control of the kiss.
Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck as her lips forced his open, deepening their kiss at the same time she put both feet on the ground, standing between his knees.
When they finally pulled apart, Owen looked deeply into her eyes, trying to ignore the amazing sensation she was causing by lazily caressing the hair on the back of his head.
"What was that for?" He asked, confused but completely pleased.
"For being the man you are." Amelia replied with no hesitation. She smiled as she closed her eyes and touched her forehead to his, taking a deep breath before adding. "For being here for me."
"I'll always be here for you." Owen said with confidence.
Amelia pulled apart and opened her eyes. Owen saw the flicker of playfulness in them and his face was a telltale of how much he approved the way she'd used to thank him.
"I should give this back to Meredith." She said with a mix of awkwardness and flirtation, gently stepping out of his reach.
"You probably should." Owen returned her flirtatious smile, confused but embarking on the situation.
The last thing he saw was the way Amelia gently bit her lower lip and looked at him from head to toe before sneakily leaving the bedroom.
Damn it, Owen cursed with a heavy sigh. Just when he'd thought he was finally starting to accept their physical distance Amelia went and pulled a stunt like that. But he should have figured. She was unpredictable, untamable… and absolutely adorable.
Owen had no idea what the future reserved for them but when he picked up the keys in the drawer Meredith had mentioned, he tried to decide what was more latent at the moment: the throbbing rush of blood to this lower abdomen after her kiss or the way his heart was racing after realizing Amelia was finally her own person again.
.
It was past one am when the last guests finally left the wedding reception. Owen stayed to help clean up the house, but he didn't see much of Amelia because she had taken on the task of putting the kids to bed.
On the following week, Meredith, Amelia and the kids would finally have to leave the house. Meredith had put it to sale and Owen knew he probably would have to get his own apartment soon too.
It was a shame, he thought, while taking a small cooler to the deck outside his trailer on a Sunday evening. The sun was just starting to set in the horizon. That had been a particular warm day for Seattle, and he didn't want it to be over. Being outside in the woods or by the lake enjoying the fresh air was definitely what Owen would miss the most in case he indeed have to move to the city so he settled for a final evening of sitting by his deck with a beer in his hand, silently enjoying the surroundings.
It wasn't until minutes after, when the sun had already fully set, that he noticed a bright light coming through one of the living room windows of Meredith's house. In a flash of a second, Zola came running through and moments after, Owen spotted Bailey doing the same.
The trauma surgeon smiled to himself, anticipating what was going to happen next. To his delighted surprise, Owen proved to be right in his assumption when he saw Amelia walking forth with baby Ellis on her arms.
Owen took a long sip of his beer, not quite believing it.
Over a year before, he'd sat outside on that same deck with the same drink on his hand, for the first time laying eyes on the woman he'd grown to love over the following months. Back then, Owen had been experiencing a painful break up with the ideals he thought to have build for his failed marriage. It had been hard to let go of his dreams, but after realizing he couldn't keep living that unhealthy lifestyle any longer, Owen had divorced his ex-wife and ultimately been in peace with her parting ways.
On the same night he'd sat down to carefully process all of that and ease his pain with a few drinks, Amelia had walked into his life.
And she'd remained in it like she belonged there all along.
At the time, Owen had had no idea who she was, so he'd simply mistaken her for a babysitter. The way she would affectionately interact with the kids had warmed his heart. Back then Bailey was still a baby, and Ellis wasn't even an idea yet. But now that one more kid had been thrown to the mix, he could firsthand witness how Amelia's love and affection for them seemed to have multiplied.
On a chilly night months before, Owen's soul had been just as cold as the autumn wind. But now, on that peaceful summer evening, the warmth in his heart made him feel whole. And it was Amelia the main responsible for that.
Owen kept staring at her, unable to wipe the smile off his face. Barefoot and wearing light blue shorts, the young neurosurgeon tried juggling caring for Ellis at the same time she gave attention to Zola and Bailey. Owen tilted his head to the side, carefully inspecting her shapely legs, slim waist and gorgeous pale skin.
The first time he'd seen her, he was guilty to have sexually desired the woman after just looking at Amelia. Now, months later, he was absolutely sure he wanted her even more. So much had happened between those two different nights that it was hard not to put things into perspective.
Every day, something unexpected could happen. Some people died, some people left, others were born. Owen noticed the short strands of blonde hair on top of Ellis's head as Amelia brought the baby close to her face and breathed her in. If he could, he would keep that image forever in his head.
And that was when started to allow himself to picture Amelia doing the exact same thing, but to his baby instead.
She was so caring, so warm and loving that he'd had no doubt she would make a great mother. Just like him, Amelia was familiar with loss. But she hadn't let the many heartbreaks in her life turn her into a bitter person. Instead, she'd maintained her liveliness, bright smile and child-like optimism to live her life knowing the things that mattered the most laid on a simple smile, or a possibility to be with the people they loved.
And Owen loved her.
He wanted them to have a shot happiness again. He still didn't know how they would do that. Both still have a lot to figure out. But maybe after months of dancing around, of pushing and pulling, they could finally go through that journey together. Owen didn't know much yet, but after watching how happy it made Amelia to be with the kids and how good she was with them, he had became sure of one thing.
He wanted her.
He wanted Amelia tonight in his bed, tomorrow at his breakfast table and every day in his heart. He wanted to go to sleep and wake up next to her, to make plans together. To celebrate her birthdays, to be surprised when he got home and found out she had booked an unexpected trip for them, or got them tickets to a concert. And maybe, someday, Amelia could also surprise him with the news that they would share the craziest adventure of a lifetime: parenting a child together.
Owen opened up another bottle and took a long sip, feeling better and more hopeful than he'd felt in the entire past year. Everything had been a mess, but the sun would always rise in the morning and every day was a new opportunity to try again. No matter how long it took him, he was getting Amelia back.
All the heartbreak and loss could remain in the past. Because he foresaw a better future. With Amelia by her side.
Finishing his beer, Owen got up and threw the empty bottle on the trash. He stretched his muscles and turned his head to fondly to gaze at the window on the house, only to realize that from the inside, Amelia had just opened it to look back at him.
And she smiled.
The dimples on her cheek broke all of Owen's defenses and he knew right then that he was lost forever. Taking a deep breath, he locked eyes with her and took a step forward to the house and their future.
But this time, Owen was absolutely sure that the woman he'd spent the past hour admiring through a window had, somewhere along the way, already become the love of his life.
And Owen just couldn't wait for what would come next.
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